Disclaimer: I don't own anything here (except for Al) and am just doing this for fun and to pass the long months until Season 4.
Author's Note: If you've read the other stories, you know it takes me several chapters to get the plot in place. That's what the next few are going to be, so hopefully they'll be interesting enough to keep you reading. :)
It was raining, so the brothers sat in Billy's office, their feet up on the desk, drinking beers. Tim found himself worrying about Al's drive home, which he knew was ridiculous because she was an excellent driver. It just seemed like anything involving Al right now caused Tim to worry. He'd never been much of a worrier, now it seemed like he had just been saving it all up until he needed it.
"You're awfully quiet today, Little Brother," said Billy.
Tim shrugged.
"Everything okay with Al? You two didn't have a fight or nothing, did you?"
"Nah, that's all fine....well, mostly fine. It wasn't really a fight. More like a difference of opinion. A major difference of opinion."
Billy looked a question at his brother and waited for him to continue.
"Well, Principal Taylor, she offered Al the job teaching the mechanics program at the high school. But Al don't want to take it."
"Of course she wouldn't want it. C'mon Timmy, could you see that little munchkin trying to teach a bunch of high school guys? And I don't care what Al says about women's lib or whatever, they would be probably all guys. They could bench press her and stuff her in a locker."
Tim hadn't considered that – he'd only seen the job as a way to get her away from all the accidents waiting to happen in the garage.
Tim shook his head. "No way. You've seen her with her brothers – she knows how to put a buncha guys in their place right quick."
Billy finished his beer and picked up a fresh one from the table, popping the top off and dropping it on his desk. "You're right. I'm underestimating her. Still, she loves being a mechanic and teaching high school kids......shit, you hafta be either stupid, crazy, or both to wanna do that."
"Billy, you don't think you could, you know, like encourage Al to take the teaching job?" Tim kept his eyes down as he fiddled with the label on his beer bottle.
"What are you asking me here, Timmy? Encourage her how?"
"I don't know. Like maybe suggest the job security over there is better, that you'd been thinking of making some changes around here or something?"
"Are you asking me to fire your wife? You cannot seriously be asking that."
Tim sighed. "I just think the other job would be a lot better for her, safer, and she's too damn stubborn to listen to reason."
"Timmy, that girl is the best mechanic I have, no offense, but if I had to pick between keeping her and keeping you, let me tell you, it would be a hard decision, and only because you're my brother."
Tim nodded, but still kept his head down. He hadn't actually expected Billy to agree to help. He supposed it was just the desperation that got him to even ask in the first place.
"Is this because Al hurt her back? You know she didn't do that here, right?"
"I know, Billy." Tim rolled his eyes.
"Something is definitely going on here. Are you sure you two aren't having problems?"
"No, things are great, really." Tim looked up at Billy, who looked away quickly.
"Timmy, she ain't gonna break. The girl is tough as nails and twice as sharp. I know she got that food poisoning the other week and that she's been a bit rundown and tired from it, then the whole hurting her back thing, but it's not anything serious."
Tim's lips quirked up into knowing grin. He couldn't believe how easily Billy had bought all of Al's stories.
"Is there something you're not telling me here, Timmy?"
Tim gave his brother a half-shrug, the kind that always meant he didn't want to talk about something. But usually, that half-shrug wasn't accompanied by the sort of shit-eating grin that Tim was currently sporting. Living through his brother's teenage years, when Billy had to study the kid's body language to have even half an idea of what was going on, he knew when something was up.
But Tim wasn't talking. He seemed to take delight in knowing his brother was trying to figure out his secret and was coming up blank. He took a long pull from his beer as he watched the gears turn in Billy's head.
"She's pregnant?" Billy finally asked.
Tim's face lit up with a smile, but he shrugged again. "I really can't say."
"Then she must be! What, she's probably pretty early along – 6 or 8 weeks? And she don't want you telling anyone yet."
"I keep forgetting you're the expert at this. I think it's more like 10 weeks at this point and she doesn't want to say anything 'til after the ultrasound."
Billy wanted to get up and hug his brother, but well, they were never that kinda family. Instead, he picked a foot up off his desk and kicked Tim's feet. "I'm happy for you, man, really happy. So it'll be what, like this fall?"
"October or thereabouts," said Tim, opening another bottle of beer and throwing the top at his brother's head.
"And the new baby is coming in April. That's going to be great. And Al and Mindy can hang out then I won't hafta hear about how much Mindy hates all the other moms in the new baby play group or whatever such shit she's always going to after one of them is born."
"Billy, I didn't tell you this. You have to swear that you'll tell Al that you just guessed it."
"No problem, Little Brother, your secret is safe with me. You hoping for a girl or a boy?" Billy leaned back in his chair and grinned at his brother.
"Haven't really thought about it, to be honest with you."
Billy laughed, picturing what one of Tim and Al's kids would be like. "You're going to have your hands full, Timmy. A kid that's half you and half Al? Stubborn won't even be the half of it. I'm going to enjoy watching this one grow up, I can tell you that."
Tim looked up at Billy and smiled. "Thanks, thanks a lot," he said in a wry voice but he hoped Billy knew that he meant it.